The law is not intended to punish the offender and specifically prohibits using the information to harass or commit any crime against the offender. It recognizes that public safety is best served when registered sex offenders are not concealing their location. The availability of this information is designed to enhance public safety and awareness however, no law can guarantee the protection of our children.
There is no substitute for common sense and safety precautions, such as teaching our children whom to trust and knowing where they are at all times. We are partners in making the law work. We have an obligation to act responsibly with the information we receive. For more information on Megan Nicole Kanka Foundation, click here. Protecting Your Children On July 29, , Richard and Maureen Kanka had their lives shattered when their 7-year old daughter Megan was lured into a neighbor's home with the hopes of seeing his puppy.
Shortly after, thirty yards from her front doorstep, Megan Kanka was raped and murdered. They may also be concerned that they may inadvertently expose their own identity as a victim. Non-offending family members may be subject to the same stigma and ostracism as the offender and may also become the victims of vigilantism. This may have lasting negative effects on the children living within such families.
Although there is no published research to prove the link between notification and reduced reporting of intra-familial abuse, there is some strong evidence to demonstrate this link. When the Stop it Now! In subsequent years these groups have comprised only per cent of calls Written communication from Deborah Donovan Rice, Stop it Now!
The Stop it Now! So now the abuse continues and will quite probably go unreported, all because politicians have refused to accept science and statistics and exploit the unnecessary and unjustified hysteria and garner the spoils of public ignorance.
I hold you politicians personally responsible for every Child Sexual Abuse that occurs as the result of this Law. There is no excuse for this folly and your greed for popularity in place of prudence will eventually be your own undoing because now, people are beginning to wise up to it.
You will have pandered yourself into your own political peril. Had you been honest with us in the from the beginning, maybe then your words would have some integrity, but now there is a breach in the hull and your ship is sinking. A major concern with a system of sex offender notification is that it will create a false sense of security for parents and community members.
Assault by strangers accounts for a very small percentage of cases of child sexual abuse. This figure is estimated at five per cent Philpott, By focusing on a small number of offenders, the system detracts from far more common crimes such as intra-familial abuse Interview with Max Schuleter, Vermont Department of Public Safety.
Also, due to the low level of reporting and conviction of sexual crimes, the registry will not even contain information about all the strangers who pose a threat to children. This is a bit confusing, but I understand the concept. Her parents had been unaware of his past crimes.
The bystander effect is a serious problem in our society, and something must be done in order to solve it. There have been attempts to solve this issue, and one of them is the Good Samaritan law. Although its purpose is to prevent the bystander effect, bystanders should not be punished with this law because it intrudes principles in constitution, it places burden on society, and it does not solve the bystander effect fundamentally.
With the higher moral standards and our constant efforts to solve the bystander effect, someday we will be living in the society where everyone is willing to help each other no matter what situation they are in. Open Document. Essay Sample Check Writing Quality. Megan's Law - Protection More Important than Privacy In , twice-convicted sex offender Jesse Timmendequas raped and murdered Megan Kanka, a seven-year old girl who lived across the street.
In reaction to this emotionally-charged crime, Megan's home state of New Jersey ratified a community notification bill - dubbed "Megan's Law " - just three months later. This fall, a national version of the law went into effect, mandating that all fifty states notify citizens in writing of the presence of convicted sex offenders within their communities. Certainly, society has a responsibility to protect children from sex offenders, and many feel that Megan's Law is the best course of action.
However, others feel that it is an unwarranted intrusion into the rights to privacy of individuals who have already paid their debts to society.
Megan Kanka should still be alive today, and, as a society, we have an undeniable responsibility to keep such tragedies from taking place in the future. We must not merely respond when sex crimes occur but must, instead, take an active role in preventing them in the first place. Megan's Law is an effective attempt by legislators to help us achieve this goal. Indeed, it helps to prevent these crimes by protecting children, our most defenseless citizens, from those who are most likely to endanger them.
Megan's Law operates under the logic that responsible parents, once notified that a designated "high risk" sex offender lives nearby, will be able to prevent their children from becoming the victims of another attack. The fact that child victims are too traumatized to serve as witnesses to these horrendous crimes can not be the reason that sex offenders get less jail time and considered low tiered offenders.
The system needs to severely punish individuals who sexually victimize children with long incarceration times. Additionally, we must set up safeguards to protect children even after those sentences have been served, in cases where rehabilitation was not achieved. Any adult person who is convicted of a sex crime against a child needs to be treated as a serious threat to public safety.
Jen joined the Focus for Health team in January Jen has spent most of her career in the field of human services, specifically working with high-risk populations and people with disabilities. Throughout the years, she has incorporated her interest in wellness and nutrition into her career.
Jen has partnered with various organizations throughout the last 25 years and has written numerous cook books and wellness manuals geared towards people with disabilities as well as WIC and SNAP recipients. When Jen is not working, she can be found cooking, gardening, and driving her kids to sports practices. In addition to her work in human services, Jen is very involved with various boards and organizations in her community.
Why are our prisons not holding the rapists for the time period intended? Why is it shortened when the intention was additional protection? Our laws are not being inforced by the judicial and prison systems then those systems need correcting.
You have to question where taxes are spent and the behaviour of those who maintain intentions to protect and agreements of laws. Your email address will not be published. Sign Up. Community notification makes information about sex offenders available to the public.
0コメント